Photographic track detector



Sept. 28 1926. Y 1,601,080

- s. OTIS mowoemgrnxc TRACK DETECTOR 7 Filed April 26, 1924 3 sheets-sheet 1 501577656: flaw/6 Sept. 28 1926. v s. OTIS PHOTOGRAPHIC TRACK DETECTOR Filed April 26. 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 2 mm was Sept. 28 1926.

S. OTIS rnowoenu mc TRACK DETECTOR 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed April 26, 1924 Patented. Sept. 28, 1926. I

SPENCER OTIS, F EARRING-TON, ILLINOIS.

PH OTOGRAPHIC TRACK DETECTOR.

Application filed April 26, 1824. Serial No. 709,124.

This invention relates to means for ascertaining the physical condition of a structure of protracted as railroad track or the rails thereof, and proceeds upon the principle of traversing the track by a vehicle equipped with means for continuously photographing the track'as the vehicle progresses. with the effect of de veloping a substantially continuous record in of the condition thereof. The preferred method of accomplishing the result involves,

as well, the use of the material of the photo graph, for instance, the strip upon which the images are successively taken, as a'meas- X5 ure of the track traversed, and, therefore, as a means for determining the location in the track, or distances from a selected point, of the respective pictures, so that if any picture shows a defect or condition of particular in-.' 29 terest, it will be practicable to locate the actual place where the condition exists. The

- exposures will, ofcourse, be timed in a man ner to produce sharp images notwithstand- 1 ing the movement of the vehicle bearing the photographic apparatus,-a nd the 'actinized material preferably in the form of a strip, will, of course, be fedas the exposures are made, after the manner of motion picture photography, although not necessarily with such rapid periodicity as will develop the appearances of motion onthe principle of persistence of vision, V

.In the accompanying drawings, III which two embodiments of the invention-are shown by way of illustration L Figure 1 is a front elevation of an automotive track vehicle upon which is mounted apparatus adapted to continuously photo-' graph surfaces of the track rails, and particularly those surfaces thereof which are normally obscured from view of an inspector from a position above the track.

Figures 2 and 3 show, on an'enlarged scale, in front and side elevation, a photographic unit which is, employed for each rail in Figure l.

Figure 4 represents a strip of sensitized film upon which successive images from the rails may be projected and which, by reason of its feed in the photographic v and'lineal distance calibrations" marked thereon, will serve the additional purpose of recording'the relative position or approximate position of every image: photographed,

dimension, such, for instance,'

' and well known type.

- a shaft 8 which is in turn connected by bevel which the image, occupies in the length of the track.

apparatus Figures 5 and 6 are views corresponding to Figures 2 and 3, showing a somewhat difl'erent arrangement of photographic unit, ac cord ng to which, instead of taking sepa-- rate pictures of the respective sides of the rail, a composite picture will be taken showing both sides of the rail in their existent relation.

It is to be understood that any detail in the construction and operation of the photographic apparatus not herein specifically i1- lustrated, may be embodied in accordance with known practice in the construction and operation of a motion picture apparatus, particularly as regards the operation of feedingthe film and effecting intermittent exposures. v

Referring to Figures 1, 2, and 3, 1 represents a truck,or car equipped with track wheels 2 and'any' approved form of motive power 3 arranged to propel it alonga railroad 75 track. Supported on truck 1' through means I of brackets a are photographic cameras 5 wh ch are to be understood as embodying automatic and continuously operating ex-. posure mechanism and concurrently actuated film feeding'mechanism of some approved An important feature of this photographic ,apparat us, according to the present invent-ion, resides in the provision of'meansfor positively actuating the film feed and exposure mechanism in definite relation to the distance traversed by the truckli as, for instance, by gearing an axle 6 of wheel 2 with a sprocket 7 on gearing 9 with the internal mechanism of the camera, and thus causing each image to bear the same relative position on the film track portion, recorded by such In order that the cameras 5 ma record conditions of those portions of t e rails which are obstructed from view from above,

'mirrors 10 are supported on arms 11 in reflective relation between said obscured portions of the rail and the lens openings of the camera; and in" order that these mirrors may be temporarily withdrawn from normal position, to avoid rail splices on other obstructions along the track, the arms 11 are pivoted at 12 and provided with crank arms 13 connected through rods 14 with crank arms 15 on the shaft 16 that may, if desired, extend entirely across the vehicle so as to govern mirrors at both 110 of one or the other of the hand levers 17.

A specimen of the sensitized tape or film .that will be used is shown in Figure 4,

wherein the figures 0 25 5280 on the strip represent feet indicative of the longitudinal dimension of the rails traversed, so that by introducing the film into the camera with that portion thereof presented toward the lens which corresponds with the portion .of the track upon which the vehicle rests, the images will be properly spaced in relation to the portions of the rail traversed, and by taking the nearest reading to any particular image, the general location of the condition in the track which the image records can'be determin'edand actual inspection and repair can be undertaken.

If desired a cyclometer 18 can be used in connection with the driving mechanism, as;

for instance, by having its sprocket wheel 19 in mesh with the chain 20 that connects the shafts 6and 8, and by reading this cyclometer it can be determined justhow far the vehicle is from a starting point in the'track, and film with appropriate calibrations can be introduced in replacing-exhausted film.

According to Figures 5 and 6, images reflected by the mirrors 10, mounted on pivots 12 by arms 11 and under control of crank arms 13 with connections 14, are received and directed by a second pair of mirrors 10 to a reflecting prism 10, whence the two images" ofopposite sides of the rail both enter a camera 5 where they are recorded simultaneously as a single image, showing both sides of the rail in their actual relation. In this camera has its sprocket wheel 7 a driven by a chain 20 from the axle 6, and said chain is made-to pass over the pinion 19 of cyclom- 'eter 18, as already described in "connection with Figures 1 to 3.

IrP-both the form of Figures 1 to .3 and that shown in Figures 5 and 6, light sources 21 will be employed in such relation to the surfaces to be photographed as will insure instance, the single ample illumination thereof; and these light sources are preferably mounted on the same bracket arms 11 or 11 with the mirrors 10, 10

Inasmuch as the subject-matter of the present invention is applicable to uses other than roadsequipped with guiding rails, for instance, an' ordinary highway used by wheeled vehicles in general, or any surface requiring examination or running parallel with structures that need inspection, the terms track, rail, railway etc., as herein used, except when the context otherwise determines, are tobe taken as typifying any road, way, or surface over which the photographically equipped vehicle may travel.

I claim:

1. In combination, avehicle, photographic apparatus mounted upon said vehicle constructed to photographically record the physical condition of the rail upon which the vehicle travels, and reflecting means mounted on said vehicle in position to direct into the camera images of a selected portion of the rail to be photographed.

2. In apparatus for photographically recording the physical condition of railroad I rails, a vehicle adapted to travel in a direction paralleling the rail, a reflector mounted upon said vehicle in position to reflect an image of an under portion of said rail,"and photographic means in position to receive the image so reflected.

3. In apparatus for photographically re cording the physical condition of the under surfaces of railroad rails, aivehicle adapted to travel a course parallel with the rail to be photographed, a system of mirrors mounted on said vehicle in position to reflect images from the under surfaces of both sides of said rail and project said images in parallel relation as a composite image, and pnotographic apparatus mounted on said vehicle in position to receive the composite image thus projected.

Signed-atChicago, Illinois, this 21st day of April, 1924 I SPENCER orisi 

